My Purpose
by Malley
Summary: Lisbon finally makes Jane open up as to why he did what he did to her after the ending of The Whites of His Eyes. Minor spoilers for the episode, but nothing too significant where the plot is concerned.


**Disclaimer: ****I do not own The Mentalist or any of its characters.** It took seven years for Jane and Lisbon to get together. That should be proof enough.

**A/N:** Yeah, so the ending of the White of His Eyes didn't sit well with me, so this is the result. Enjoy :)

**MY PURPOSE**

Teresa Lisbon wasn't sure what had woken her up first: the gentle sound of the sizzling bacon on the stove or the sweet smell of the chocolate chip pancakes wafting its way into her bedroom. Regardless of the cause, Lisbon knew that Jane was awake and was busy slaving himself away in her kitchen. Grabbing her jersey, Lisbon slipped it over her pajamas as she made her way from her bedroom to her kitchen. She and Jane often alternated between her house and his Airstream but, after the stunt Jane pulled the day before, Lisbon went straight home. She had planned to spend her night alone, stewing over the audacity that Jane had to do something like that to her, but it was her undeniable love for the irksome yet caring consultant that caused her to allow him to stay at her house instead of banishing him to his trailer for the night.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Lisbon paused in the archway of her kitchen. Jane had his pajama clad back to her as he was working on creating some pancake masterpieces on her stove. Of course, Jane sensed that she was there. He poured the last of the pancake batter on to the pan and smiled brightly at her.

"Good morning, Teresa," Jane said cheerily.

Lisbon continued to stand in the archway, folding her arms across her chest.

"Is this supposed to be a peace offering?" she questioned.

"Is it working?" Jane asked her.

"No."

"Ah."

Jane let out a breath. He knew what she wanted from him. She wanted him to promise that he would never deliberately interfere with her work in order to keep her safe. Lisbon was a cop and he knew that but Jane didn't know what he would do without her. Perhaps, he considered, he should just tell her that. He was already in deep water so it couldn't hurt, right?

"Listen, Teresa, I'm sorry for misdirecting you like that yesterday," Jane began to say.

"Yeah, well, you should be." Lisbon interrupted. "I'm fully aware of the dangers that are a part of the job, Jane. I've known that ever since I stepped foot into the police academy back in Chicago and, believe me when I say this, there are some nasty neighborhoods back home that I had to work in that would have made confronting that assassin in a hotel yesterday look like a walk in the park."

Jane smiled slightly.

"I know that you are completely capable of handling anything that is thrown at you," he told her. "You are a fierce little warrior; _my_ fierce little warrior who puts her life on the line on a daily basis to keep the world safe from evil doers."

Lisbon raised an eyebrow at him. Even though they had only become an official couple for a short while, she was already immune to his charms. Plan B it was. Jane so hoped that Plan A of charming Lisbon into forgiving him would work because Plan B required him to be honest with her, honest about his feelings.

Jane let out another breath, hoping to calm himself before speaking. He could be suave and charming to just about anyone else on the planet but when it came time to talk to Lisbon about serious matters, he often felt like the nerdy freshman kid trying to ask the beautiful and popular senior girl out to homecoming. Words completely failed him when the moment came to say them.

"You're right, Teresa. I know that you are a cop at heart, and a very good one at that," he began to say. "I know that this job comes with obvious risks and hazards but that can't stop me from worrying about you every time you go out in the field. I was very selfish yesterday by telling you that the assassin was on a different floor so I could direct you out of danger. I was selfish because I didn't want to put you in harm's way."

Jane paused and walked over to Lisbon. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist and just held her to him.

"I'm sorry, Teresa, but I can't lose you," Jane whispered. "For ten years, I thought that my purpose was hunting down Red John but, slowly, I began to realize that it was just a part of my life and not my purpose. When I finally killed him, I could have just given up because I completed my mission but I didn't give up. Do you know why I didn't? You, Teresa. I kept going because you gave me a purpose. If I lost you…"

Jane's sentence trailed off and it was silent between them for a few moments until Lisbon finally spoke up.

"When one of my brothers or I got in trouble, my mother would always tell that she might get mad at us, but she would never stop loving us, no matter what," she said, sliding her fingers through Jane's soft blond curls. "As a kid, I never really understood how wise that statement was. But now, I understand."

Lisbon tilted Jane's head up so she could look him in the eyes. "I might be mad at you, Patrick, for what you did but that does not mean that I don't love you any less." she told him. "It's touching that you care so much about me- I don't think I've ever had anyone care as much about me as you do- but you just can't overdo it, okay?"

"I make no promises," Jane said with a smile.

Finally, Lisbon gave in and smiled back at him, shaking her head slightly. He made it so difficult to stay mad at him, no matter how hard she tried. Lisbon motioned for Jane to stand up. Once he did, she pulled him to her in an embrace. Jane kissed her afterward.

"You're still not off the hook yet," Lisbon continued, looking at Jane sternly. "You want to make a peace offering?"

Jane nodded. "Then I suggest you go get me those chicken wings from that bar that I never got to have the other day,"

Jane laughed, relieved.

"Of course. I'll even play some more foosball if you so desire." he offered.

"You're on. Who knows? I might even let you score a goal or two," Lisbon taunted.

They continued to bicker over Jane's monumental loss to Lisbon in foosball as they ate breakfast. Things were right with the world once again…except for the fact that Jane couldn't beat Lisbon at foosball. He'd have to see about that one.

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